Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-11-05

| 0Ai.AchStOOu dS IL u physician SQOulQ Ialk TO ar
ordinary patient about the pericardium and
lniercostal fduscle; and seorbutic symptoms
Many OF us come out of the theological semi.
naries so loaded up that we take the first ter
years to show our people how much we know
and the next ten years get our people &c
Know as much as we know, and at the end
nnd that neither of us know ANYTHING as we
ought to know. Here are hundreds and
thousands OF SHINING, struggling and dying
| people who need to realize Just one thing
that Jesus Christ came to save them, and
VIII save them now. But we go into pro
found and elaborate definition of what iusti-
hcation is, and after all the worl: there are
not, outside of the learned professions, 5000
people In the United States who can tell
what Justification is | will read you the
, definition:
justification is purely forensic act, the
act OF ju'lge sitting in the forum, in which
the Supreme Ruler and Judge, who is ac-
countable to none, and who alone knows the
manner in which the ends of His universal
government can best be obtained, reckons
that which was done by the substitute in the
same manner as If it had been done by those
VINO believe In the substitute, and not on ac-
count Of anything done by them, but purely
upon account OF this gracious method Of
recKoning,. grants them full remission OF
their sinsr
Now, what is justifcationl will tell you
6od lets him oil. One summer in Connect
cut went to large factory. and | saw over
the door written the words "No Admit
tance" l entered and saw over the next
door " no Admittance." OF course entered.
got inside and found it pin factory, and they
we're making pins very serviceab1e, fine and
useful pins So the spirit of exclusiveneSs
has practically written over. the outside door
of many church "No admittanceh And
il the stranger enters he finds practically
written over the second door: No Admit
lance" and If he goes in. over all the pew
doors seems written: mo Admttance," while
the minister stands in the pulpit. hammerinG
OUT his little n.cecles OF belief, 5oun ling ore
the technicalities of religion, making pins
In the most practical, commonsense way, and
LAYING aside the ncn-essentials and the hard
definitions of religion, go out on the God
given miss on, telling the people what they
nsed AMI when and how they can get it
Comparatively little effort has as vet been
made to save that large class of persons in
our midst called skeptics. and he who goes to
work here will not be building upon another
mans foundation: There is a great multi
ttide of them. They are afraid of us and our
churches, for the reason we don't know how
to treat them. One of this class met Christ
and hear with what tenderness and pathos
and beauty, and success Christ dealt with
him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with III thy heart, and with all thy soul. and
with oil thy mind, and with all thy strength.
This is the first commandm mt. and the sec
onn Is IKE to this; namely, thou shalt love
thy neighhor as thysalf There Is no
other comm lndment greater than this.
And the scribe said to him: "Well,
master, thou hast said the truth,
for there is one God, and to love
him with all the heart, and all
the I'm ierstanding, and all the soul, and all
the strength is more than whole burnt offer
ings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw
that he answered discreetly, he said unto
him: Thou art not far from the kingdom
Si Sc s2 s% sssPS Maa faSed Segp n rg s p
skeptic in that way. Instead of taking hold
of him with the gentle hand of love, we are
apt to take him with the iron pincers of ec-
ciesiasticism
you knew by what process he had lost his
faith in Christianity. | have known men
skeptical from the fact that they grew up in
houses where religion was overdone. Sun
day was the most awful day of the week.
They had religion driven into them with a
trip hammer. They were surfeited with
prayer meetings They were stuffed and
choked with catechisns They were often
told they were the worst boys the parents
ever knew because they liked to ride down
hill better than to read Bunyan's "Pilgrim's
Progress Whenever father and mother
talked of religion they drew down the corners
of their mouth and role1 up the:s ewes. If
any one thing will send boy or girl to de-
struC tion sooner than another that is it. If !
had hal such father AMI mother | fear l
should have been an inijel.
Others were tripped up of sSepticism from
being grievously wronged by some man who
professed to be q Christian. They had a
partner in business who turned out to be
first-class scoundrel, though a professed
Christian. Twenty years ago they had lost
all faith by what happened in an oil company
which was formed amid the petroleum ex-
citement. The company owned no land, or
if they did, there was sign of oil produced.
But the President of the company was a
Presbyterian elder and the Treasurer was an
Episcopal vestryman, and one director was
Metho list class leader, and the other direc-
tors prominent members of Baptist and Con-
gregg tonal chur hes. Circulars were gotten
out telling what fabulous prospects opened be-
fore this company. Innocent men and
women who had a little money to
invest and that little their all, said: II don't
know anything about this company, but so
many good men are at the head of it that il
must be excellent, and taking stock in it
almost as good as joining the church. So
they bought the stock, and perhaps received
one dividend so as to keep them STILL but
after while they found that the company
mad reorganized and had a different presi-
dent, and different treasurer, and different
directors 1t was said, by way of explana-
ton, that other engagements or i'll health
had caused the former officers of the company,
with many regrets, to resign And all that
the subscribers of that stock had to
show for their investment was beauti-
/ fully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man looking over his old papers
comes across that certificate, and it is
50 suggestive that he vows he wants none Of
the religion that the presidents and trustees
and directors OF that oil company professed.
: OF course their rejection Of religion on such
grounds was unphilosophical and unwise. /
4 am told that one-thrd of the United States
army deserts every year. and there are 900
court martial trials every year. Is that any
/ thing against the United States Government
that swore them inl And il soldiers of Jesus
| Christ desert, is that anything against the
Christianity which they swore to support and
defendl How do You judge of the currency
Of country By counterfeit bills Oh,
you must have patience with those who have
been swindled by religious pretenders. Live
in the presence Of others a frank, honest,
earnest Christian life, that they may be at
tracted TO the same Saviour upon whom your
hopes depend.
( Remember skepticism always has some rea-
son, good or bad, for existing. Goethes ire
ligion started when the news came TO Ger
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